How would things be different if the primary wasn't so compressed?

[ringmastery]

Would Kerry still be running away with it if the primary scheldule was more like in 1992 with weeks in between Iowa and NH and the other primaries?

[krkaufman]

1. Well, it would be 3 1/2 more weeks until the first post-NH primaries.

There would still be 3 1/2 more weeks, as of tonight, until the first post-NH primaries, so Kerry would have a hard time "running away with it" with his delegate count -- like everyone else's -- stuck at NH levels.

The weeks pass, scrutiny ensues, hype dies down, post-NH voters actually get to meet the candidates and learn their platforms and past positions, and, god forbid, someone actually does some real reporting and develops a matrix comparing the candidates across the characteristics making up "electability", ...

As it stands now, all the non-hyped candidates have to blow enormous sums of money trying to play catch-up with all the free media that hype-boy is getting. But never quite getting there because paid-for TV spots aren't nearly as pervasive as the free media hype. The compressed schedule doesn't allow for slower, cheaper grassroots dissemination of info.

So, yes, I think we'd certainly be in a different situation.

[incapsulated]

2. What krkaufman said. :) eom

[buckeye1]

3. No.

Good candidates win,poor ones lose. No amount of excuses can change that.

BTW. I voted for Clark.

[isbister]

4. Yes

Maybe you could shave a couple of points off of a few wins but the voters would've selected the better candidate in that scenerio, as they have now.